Sole Mates By Len L. Le Tellier and Donna Alexander Sole Mates Toey and Tooey were identical twins and were inseparable. They did everything together. They played together, they bathed together, and they even slept together rolled up into a tiny ball. A tiny ball? Yes, Toey and Tooey were not people, but a pair of matching socks! They were sole mates and belonged to a little girl named Maddie. Maddie had two kinds of socks, play socks and dress socks. The dress socks thought that they were superior to the common play socks because they were made of fine lacy material and some even had pretty ribbons and delicate little satin flowers. Although the dress socks had a definite superior attitude, all the socks were good friends and lived together in Maddie’s sock drawer. Toey and Tooey were play socks, which was just fine with them because they got out of the sock drawer more often than the dress socks and had a lot more fun! Every morning Maddie would get out of bed and after having breakfast and brushing her teeth would get dressed. She would go to the sock drawer and pick a pair of socks that matched her outfit. Once on her feet they were off on an adventure. After a hard day of play, Maddie would take off her socks as she got ready for bed, and put them in the dirty clothes hamper. Every few days, Maddie’s mom would do the wash. This was quite refreshing for the socks. They particularly liked the dryer, where they would laugh and laugh as they went around and around until they were all dry, soft and fluffy. They would then be rolled into a ball with their mate and put back into the sock drawer to await another day of play and adventure with Maddie. Toey and Tooey feared only two things. Like all the other socks, they were scared to death of Opal, the family dog, who loved to chew on socks and shake them, and toss them around! Opal was just playing with them, but it was truly a frightening sight for any sock to behold let alone experience! They were a pair, a team, and one without the other served no purpose, other than a plaything for Opal! Some of their friends had lost their mates and had never seen them again. Unfortunately, this was not an uncommon happening, as Maddie liked to go barefoot and was often taking off her shoes and socks and leaving the scattered all over the place where it was easy to become hidden, or worse yet, become fair game for the roving Opal. Sometimes Maddie would be so tired at night from playing hard all day, that she would forget to put them in the clothes hamper. This had happened to Toey and Tooey a few times, but they had never been separated for long and always ended up together in the clothes hamper. Other than these fears, Toey and Tooey were very happy and content as they lived through the cycle over and over again. Then one day the unthinkable happened. Toey and Tooey became separated when Maddie took off her shoes and socks while playing in the sandbox. Toey was relieved to be picked up and have the sand shaken out, and couldn’t wait to get back to the clothes hamper to share stories with Tooey. But, Tooey was not there. Toey really began to worry when after two days Tooey had still not shown up. Finally, the lid to the hamper opened and all the clothes were sorted for the laundry. Toey went through the wash machine than into the dryer. As the other socks laughed and giggled through the fluff cycle, Toey was very sad, for Tooey was not there. Finally, as the other socks were all matched with their mates and rolled into tiny balls, Toey was left all alone. What happens to socks who have who have lost their mate? Toey had heard a story about the Lost Sock Drawer, but had never paid much attention. Scared and shaking, Toey suddenly heard Maddie’s mother say, “Oh dear! Another missing sock! Maybe it’s mate is in the Lost Sock Drawer.” Toey heard the drawer open, then, “Darn! It’s not here”. The drawer closed and Toey was in amongst a group of strange misfit socks of all sizes, colors and shapes. “Another lost sole. Welcome to the Lost Sock Drawer,” Toey heard someone sigh. Toey huddled with fear in the corner of the drawer and looked about. Some of the socks were gigantic, and Toey realized the must belong to Maddie’s father. Although they were different, the socks in the drawer had one thing in common. They were all missing their mate and all were very sad. After awhile, the socks began to talk. Some of them had been in the drawer for as long as they could remember. Others had been there only a short time. The Lost Sock Drawer was located in the laundry room and whenever they heard footsteps approach the anticipation would build, hoping the drawer would open and they would be reunited with their mate. But it was on laundry days that they would really get excited. They could hear the washing machine running and the dryer tumbling and longingly could hear the other socks laughing as they went through the fluff cycle. Then the drawer would open and they would all hold their breath waiting to see if they would be the lucky one plucked from the drawer and reunited with their mate. Almost always one or two would leave amid much excitement. The drawer would close and with quiet sadness they would welcome any new arrivals to their group of lost soles. Toey quickly made friends with the other misfit socks and listened in wonder as they shared their stories and experiences. Toey was startled to learn that the world was much larger than Maddie’s yard. Maddie’s father traveled a lot and his socks talked for hours about all the strange, fascinating places they had been and the sights they had seen. Despite the new friends and the incredible stories, Toey was very sad and really missed Tooey. When the next laundry day came around, Toey was not even excited when the drawer opened. But suddenly a hand reached in and after rummaging around pulled Toey from the drawer. “There you are,” Toey heard Maddie’s mother say, Could it be? Yes! There was Tooey on the folding table. Before they knew it they were rolled into a tiny ball and were back in Maddie’s sock drawer. Everyone was excited to see Toey and Tooey again and demanded to know what had happened to them. They gathered around and listened in awe as Toey told the story of getting separated in the sandbox and ending up in the Lost Sock Drawer. Then it was Tooey’s turn. Poor Tooey! Tooey had become covered with the sand and when Maddie went into the house, Tooey was left behind all alone. For several days and nights Tooey lay under the sand, shivering with cold and afraid of all the strange night sounds. One night it rained and Tooey got soaked. It was a miserable, lonely time. Then one day the sand began to shift and scatter. Tooey heard a loud panting sound, and scared to death, realized it was Opal sniffing around and digging in the sand. The next thing Tooey knew, the sand was gone and there was Opal looking down with her tongue hanging out. Opal took Tooey in her mouth and trotted off to the house. Tooey had never been so frightened and thought for sure Opal was about to have a sock lunch! But Opal was proud of her find, and with tail wagging happily, went directly to Maddie’s mother and gently laid Tooey at her feet. So Tooey was rescued, and as frightening as it was, if it wasn’t for Opal, Tooey may never have been found. It was quite a story. All the socks commented on how brave they had been, especially Tooey. After all the excitement of their return had died down, Toey and Tooey clung tightly to each other and hoped that never again would they be separated. They had learned that it was a lonely world to be apart. They were a pair, and it just wasn’t right to be separated from your sole mate. The End
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:17:06 +0000
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